Childhood Obesity in the U.S. During the 20th Century
BBC News Health reported in May 27, 2004, about a 3-year-old American girl who died from heart failure due to obesity (1). Four more children in the same hospital were witnessed as being “choked by their own fat” (McKenzie, par.10). This alarming news is just one of the many cases of childhood obesity in the United States. Childhood obesity is becoming one of America’s most urgent health problems. Several potential causes that arise from this nationwide crisis include spending too much time on TV, lack of physical activity, family demographics, parenting beliefs and practices, marketing, governmental intervention and other genetic abnormalities. The objective of this essay is to discuss these causes thoroughly in order to fully understand the reason behind the epidemic that is tormenting the American health care and economy today. A direct link has been found between the number of hours spent on watching television and childhood obesity (Schernhammer 1010). The average American youth spends a shocking 1500 hours in television each year compared to the 900 hours spent in school finds Television Statistics (Herr). During this sedentary activity, children tend to splurge on sugary or fatty snacks such as candies and pizza. Thus, accumulating the amount of energy consumed and outweighing the number of calories burned, if any. Likewise, watching the television while eating “interferes with the natural cues children's bodies send them about whether they are full… and can lead them to overeat or under eat,” as told by Dr. Lori Francis, Bio-Behavioural health professor. As a result, children uncontrollably consume vast amounts of fattening food, not realizing that they are eating more than what their bodies can handle. In turn, their attention is diverted from eating towards what they are viewing on the television, which consequently led to the deactivation of their satiety. Food commercials on TV may also act as mediators (Schernhammer 1010). These enticing advertisements tend to trigger children’s appetite and they are influenced to eat more. The lack of physical activity is also another cause of childhood obesity. A contributor to this is time pressure (Hill, et. al. 853) which is a major issue in the environment that we live in today. There is clamour for tardiness and desire for everything to be performed at a blistering pace, which is why children would prefer driving than walking, taking the elevators rather than the stairs, and playing video games instead of playing basketball the old fashioned way. To make things worse, we are building more and more efficient gadgets and technologies to make our lives easier. A satirical animated movie called Wall-E was launched in 2008 that gave a subliminal message to the viewers about obesity. Slate magazine editor Daniel Engber shares his comments about the movie:
“It plays off the easy analogy between obesity and ecological catastrophe, pushing the notion that Western culture has sickened both our bodies and our planet with the same disease of affluence. According to this lazy logic, a fat body stands in for a distended culture: We gain weight and the Earth suffers. If only society could get off its big, fat [butt] and go on a diet!” (Slate) Although man is getting increasingly innovative and intelligent in granting us with our essential necessities, we are also getting more indolent and unresponsive of the world we live in. We should not get to the point wherein we endanger our ecological niche just to pamper ourselves with pointless luxuries. Parents are a child’s first naturalistic relationship and they influence their children more than anyone else. They are the ones who regulate their children’s habits and activities, and would then be accountable if their kids developed poor eating habits. Single-parents or full-time working parents, however, do not have enough time to prepare wholesome food for their kids. “They tend to prepare food items which are high in fat and sodium,” (Gable Lutz 293) that could be detrimental to their health especially in large quantities. Some parents are uninformed of the proper way to nurture their children and the consequences of feeding them junk food. Children would not normally look for something else to eat while on the dinner table. A recent study (2005) shows that children would eat “as much as what they are served on their plate in any one time” (Duchene). This means that children would eat even if they have already eaten earlier. Therefore, the quantity and quality of their children’s meal is entirely depended upon the parents’ decisions.
Also, parents’ under involvement in healthy food preparation (Gable Lutz 295) makes their children authoritative of what they can eat and how much. That is why it is important to choose the right food to buy and be made readily available to eat at home. Healthy foods are usually more expensive and less accessible unlike processed food that could be found even in a convenience store. Hence, the availability of healthy food for low-income families is an issue.
Another alternative for food preparation would be dining in fast food restaurants. Statistics from Fast Food Nation show that in 2001, Americans have spent over $110 billion on fast food restaurants more than what they have spent on recreational merchandise (books, magazines, etc.) (Schlosser). This food preparation substitute is more unmanageable health-wise because restaurant food or fast food contains more calories, sodium and fat than regular prepared meals; all the more difficult to control if they are unaware of what is being mixed into their meals.
Food habits not only affect children’s physical and mental growth but also their wellness in the future. For that reason, parents are integral factors for their growth. Little do we know that the government may also be a contributor to the epidemic. The government subsidized agricultural production in the U.S., and farms “produce more food than what can be consumed healthily by the population.” (Morrill Chinn 361) Fructose is one of the profusely farmed ingredients that are found in corn syrup. It is “now the least expensive sweetener, and the predominant ingredient in most snack foods and virtually all soft drinks.” (Morrill Chinn 361) From an economic standpoint, an excessive supply of a product would result in cheaper price in the market. Therefore, budget-conscious buyers tend to favour these more affordable insalubrious products than the pricey healthy food on the grocery aisles. The ubiquity of food advertisements provided by unhealthy food companies might also be blamed for child obesity. These companies have developed several techniques to entice children to buy their products, authors Morrill and Chinn quotes: "Those techniques include: in-school marketing through vending machine placement, billboards, and company sponsored materials and events; product placements; kids' clubs; the Internet; toys and products with food brand logos; and youth-targeted promotions.” (p. 362)
Since these kids go to school everyday, the school has been turned into an advertising ground by food companies. In-school media, vending machines, and food-company sponsored events and materials are also delivered to school (Morrill Chinn 362). Rather than educating these kids and coercing them into a healthier lifestyle, these schools exacerbate the prevailing epidemic. It cannot be helped that some children were born to have some genetic abnormality that led to their obesity. Pregnant women with gestational diabetes have abnormally high numbers of fat cells which makes their unborn babies more susceptible to childhood obesity. [Phelps A164] There are also those unfortunate children who have acquired asthma. Wikipedia defines asthma: “a chronic disease involving the respiratory system,” which hinders them from doing any strenuous activity without suffering from the illness. In effect, they are unable to train their bodies for any exercise and become more prone to weight gain.
Some interesting info:
Research cited by the Dieticians of Canada reveals that approximately 27 percent of boys and 23 percent of girls in grades six and eight consume candy and chocolate bars daily. Also, milk consumption is almost 30 percent lower in schools that also sell soft drinks. By the time these children reach nine to twelve years of age, many will have lifestyle habits that could contribute to them developing cardiovascular disease as early as their 30s.
Even more, sugary drinks, crisps and sweets are causing serious behavioural problems among school children. These vending machines are supplying snacks that are increasing their sugar intake, causing them to attend their class hyped up and in a disruptive mood.
Ontario’s Ministry of Education has banned the sale of junk foods in all elementary schools in the province. The provincial government has required school boards to replace their school vending machines with milk, juice, nuts and granola, so that students no longer have access to sweetened, carbonated, caffeinated or artificially sweetened food and drinks.
Gable, Sara, and Susan Lutz. "Household, Parent, and Child Contributions to Childhood Obesity." National Council on Family Relations 49 (2000): 293-300. 02 Feb. 2009 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/585894>.
Hill, James O., Holly R. Wyatt, George W. Reed, and John C. Peters. "Obesity and the Environment: Where Do We Go from Here?" American Association for the Advancement of Science 299 (2003): 853-55. JSTOR. 02 Feb. 2009 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3833601>.
Morrill, Allison C., and Christopher D. Chinn. "The Obesity Epidemic in the United States." Palgrave Macmillan 25 (2004): 353-66. 02 Feb. 2009 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3343494>.
Schernhammer, Eva S. "Harvard Launches a Workshop Series Targeting the Control of Obesity in the US." Cancer Causes and Control 14 (2003): 1009-012. JSTOR. 02 Feb. 2009 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3554009>.
February 5, 2009
CCT 205
Childhood Obesity in the U.S. During the 20th Century
BBC News Health reported in May 27, 2004, about a 3-year-old American girl who died from heart failure due to obesity (1). Four more children in the same hospital were witnessed as being “choked by their own fat” (McKenzie, par.10). This alarming news is just one of the many cases of childhood obesity in the United States. Childhood obesity is becoming one of America’s most urgent health problems. Several potential causes that arise from this nationwide crisis include spending too much time on TV, lack of physical activity, family demographics, parenting beliefs and practices, marketing, governmental intervention and other genetic abnormalities. The objective of this essay is to discuss these causes thoroughly in order to fully understand the reason behind the epidemic that is tormenting the American health care and economy today.
A direct link has been found between the number of hours spent on watching television and childhood obesity (Schernhammer 1010). The average American youth spends a shocking 1500 hours in television each year compared to the 900 hours spent in school finds Television Statistics (Herr). During this sedentary activity, children tend to splurge on sugary or fatty snacks such as candies and pizza. Thus, accumulating the amount of energy consumed and outweighing the number of calories burned, if any. Likewise, watching the television while eating “interferes with the natural cues children's bodies send them about whether they are full… and can lead them to overeat or under eat,” as told by Dr. Lori Francis, Bio-Behavioural health professor. As a result, children uncontrollably consume vast amounts of fattening food, not realizing that they are eating more than what their bodies can handle. In turn, their attention is diverted from eating towards what they are viewing on the television, which consequently led to the deactivation of their satiety. Food commercials on TV may also act as mediators (Schernhammer 1010). These enticing advertisements tend to trigger children’s appetite and they are influenced to eat more.
The lack of physical activity is also another cause of childhood obesity. A contributor to this is time pressure (Hill, et. al. 853) which is a major issue in the environment that we live in today. There is clamour for tardiness and desire for everything to be performed at a blistering pace, which is why children would prefer driving than walking, taking the elevators rather than the stairs, and playing video games instead of playing basketball the old fashioned way. To make things worse, we are building more and more efficient gadgets and technologies to make our lives easier. A satirical animated movie called Wall-E was launched in 2008 that gave a subliminal message to the viewers about obesity. Slate magazine editor Daniel Engber shares his comments about the movie:
“It plays off the easy analogy between obesity and ecological catastrophe, pushing the notion that Western culture has sickened both our bodies and our planet with the same disease of affluence. According to this lazy logic, a fat body stands in for a distended culture: We gain weight and the Earth suffers. If only society could get off its big, fat [butt] and go on a diet!” (Slate)
Although man is getting increasingly innovative and intelligent in granting us with our essential necessities, we are also getting more indolent and unresponsive of the world we live in. We should not get to the point wherein we endanger our ecological niche just to pamper ourselves with pointless luxuries.
Parents are a child’s first naturalistic relationship and they influence their children more than anyone else. They are the ones who regulate their children’s habits and activities, and would then be accountable if their kids developed poor eating habits. Single-parents or full-time working parents, however, do not have enough time to prepare wholesome food for their kids. “They tend to prepare food items which are high in fat and sodium,” (Gable Lutz 293) that could be detrimental to their health especially in large quantities. Some parents are uninformed of the proper way to nurture their children and the consequences of feeding them junk food. Children would not normally look for something else to eat while on the dinner table. A recent study (2005) shows that children would eat “as much as what they are served on their plate in any one time” (Duchene). This means that children would eat even if they have already eaten earlier. Therefore, the quantity and quality of their children’s meal is entirely depended upon the parents’ decisions.
Also, parents’ under involvement in healthy food preparation (Gable Lutz 295) makes their children authoritative of what they can eat and how much. That is why it is important to choose the right food to buy and be made readily available to eat at home.
Healthy foods are usually more expensive and less accessible unlike processed food that could be found even in a convenience store. Hence, the availability of healthy food for low-income families is an issue.
Another alternative for food preparation would be dining in fast food restaurants. Statistics from Fast Food Nation show that in 2001, Americans have spent over $110 billion on fast food restaurants more than what they have spent on recreational merchandise (books, magazines, etc.) (Schlosser). This food preparation substitute is more unmanageable health-wise because restaurant food or fast food contains more calories, sodium and fat than regular prepared meals; all the more difficult to control if they are unaware of what is being mixed into their meals.
Food habits not only affect children’s physical and mental growth but also their wellness in the future. For that reason, parents are integral factors for their growth.
Little do we know that the government may also be a contributor to the epidemic. The government subsidized agricultural production in the U.S., and farms “produce more food than what can be consumed healthily by the population.” (Morrill Chinn 361) Fructose is one of the profusely farmed ingredients that are found in corn syrup. It is “now the least expensive sweetener, and the predominant ingredient in most snack foods and virtually all soft drinks.” (Morrill Chinn 361) From an economic standpoint, an excessive supply of a product would result in cheaper price in the market. Therefore, budget-conscious buyers tend to favour these more affordable insalubrious products than the pricey healthy food on the grocery aisles.
The ubiquity of food advertisements provided by unhealthy food companies might also be blamed for child obesity. These companies have developed several techniques to entice children to buy their products, authors Morrill and Chinn quotes:
"Those techniques include: in-school marketing through vending machine placement, billboards, and company sponsored materials and events; product placements; kids' clubs; the Internet; toys and products with food brand logos; and youth-targeted promotions.” (p. 362)
Since these kids go to school everyday, the school has been turned into an advertising ground by food companies. In-school media, vending machines, and food-company sponsored events and materials are also delivered to school (Morrill Chinn 362). Rather than educating these kids and coercing them into a healthier lifestyle, these schools exacerbate the prevailing epidemic.
It cannot be helped that some children were born to have some genetic abnormality that led to their obesity. Pregnant women with gestational diabetes have abnormally high numbers of fat cells which makes their unborn babies more susceptible to childhood obesity. [Phelps A164] There are also those unfortunate children who have acquired asthma. Wikipedia defines asthma: “a chronic disease involving the respiratory system,” which hinders them from doing any strenuous activity without suffering from the illness. In effect, they are unable to train their bodies for any exercise and become more prone to weight gain.
Some interesting info:
Research cited by the Dieticians of Canada reveals that approximately 27 percent of boys and 23 percent of girls in grades six and eight consume candy and chocolate bars daily. Also, milk consumption is almost 30 percent lower in schools that also sell soft drinks. By the time these children reach nine to twelve years of age, many will have lifestyle habits that could contribute to them developing cardiovascular disease as early as their 30s.
Even more, sugary drinks, crisps and sweets are causing serious behavioural problems among school children. These vending machines are supplying snacks that are increasing their sugar intake, causing them to attend their class hyped up and in a disruptive mood.
Ontario’s Ministry of Education has banned the sale of junk foods in all elementary schools in the province. The provincial government has required school boards to replace their school vending machines with milk, juice, nuts and granola, so that students no longer have access to sweetened, carbonated, caffeinated or artificially sweetened food and drinks.
G. Fagioli
Works Cited
Barston, Suzanne. "Healthy Fast Food." Sept. 2008. 4 Feb. 2009 <http://www.helpguide.org/life/fast_food_nutrition.htm>.
Duchene, Lisa. "Does eating while watching TV harm kids?" Researchh Penn State. 4 Feb. 2009 <http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/kidtv.html>.
Engber, Daniel. "Fat-E." SLATE 10 July 2008. 03 Feb. 2009 <http://www.slate.com/id/2195126/>.
Gable, Sara, and Susan Lutz. "Household, Parent, and Child Contributions to Childhood Obesity." National Council on Family Relations 49 (2000): 293-300. 02 Feb. 2009 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/585894>.
Herr, Norman. "Television and Health." The Sourcebook for Teaching Science. 2007. 4 Feb. 2009 <http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html>.
Hill, James O., Holly R. Wyatt, George W. Reed, and John C. Peters. "Obesity and the Environment: Where Do We Go from Here?" American Association for the Advancement of Science 299 (2003): 853-55. JSTOR. 02 Feb. 2009 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3833601>.
Mead, Nathaniel. "Chemical Exposures. Origins of Obesity." Brogan & Partners 112 (2004): A344. 02 Feb. 2009 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3435972>.
Morrill, Allison C., and Christopher D. Chinn. "The Obesity Epidemic in the United States." Palgrave Macmillan 25 (2004): 353-66. 02 Feb. 2009 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3343494>.
"Preschoolers eat more when served in bigger helpings." 17 June 2005. 04 Feb. 2009 <http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Preschoolers-eat-more-when-served-in-bigger-helpings-3713-1/>.
Schernhammer, Eva S. "Harvard Launches a Workshop Series Targeting the Control of Obesity in the US." Cancer Causes and Control 14 (2003): 1009-012. JSTOR. 02 Feb. 2009 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3554009>.
Schlosser, Eric. "Americans Are Obsessed with Fast Food: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal." CBS News 18 Jan. 2001. 05 Feb. 2009 <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/31/health/main326858.shtml>.
"Three-year-old dies from obesity." BBC News Channel. Ed. BBC News. 27 May 2004. 4 Feb. 2009 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3752597.stm>.
Wikipedia, comp. "Asthma." Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. 05 Feb. 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthma.